


Just a piece of paper

by TheDragonGeek



Category: Fallout - Fandom, Fallout 3
Genre: Action/Adventure, Charon - Freeform, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fights, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Lemon, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 21:30:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16437164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDragonGeek/pseuds/TheDragonGeek
Summary: Charon had spent quite some time wasting away in the ninth circle. How would he react when offered his freedom by a very righteous and nosy smooth-skin? Warnings for profanity, violence and adult situations.





	1. Chapter 1

## The bouncer of ninth circle

His eyes traveled from one patron to another, sheer boredom taking over his mind. Charon was yet again positioned against the wall, his shotgun well placed on his back, arms crossed, expression a mask of indifference. Nothing changed here, not ever. Charon was ridden with the task of beating up drunk patrons and throwing them out as soon as Azrukhal told him so. His greedy and cunning employer had become a mere shadow of himself. He had become too old, even for a ghoul, enjoying his life in his little bar, taking advantage of the people in the underworld. He used to send Charon out in missions, collecting heads of caravan workers, or people he saw as competition in general and the larger ghoul had no choice but to obey him. As long as Azrukhal kept his contract he was honor bound to do as he commanded, forced to protect his life under all circumstances, the only exception being the threat of his own life, since violence on the employers’ part invalidated the contract.

Charon felt his life waste away in this godforsaken bar. He used to be a true warrior, roaming the wastelands under many different employers who, even though had their own share of evil inclinations, still gave him more exciting tasks. He huffed through his nostrils, focusing on a patron that was getting far too drunk for his own good. He glanced up at Azrukhal and as soon as the ghoul pointed at the man who was now harassing one of the ghoulettes at the bar, Charon moved robotically towards him. Before he could react, the large ghoul grabbed the drunkard by his shirt and pulled him away with ease, despite his struggles. Charon was after all, a good ten inches taller than the tallest person in the Underworld. He opened the door of the ninth circle, the name of the bar that comically related to the name of this town, and basically threw the drunk man on his ass, ignoring his yells and threats. He went to walk back in the bar but he remained frozen there, his eyes focused on the most out of place person this town had seen in a while.

Right where the ghoul had thrown the drunkard stood a woman, not a ghoulete, which was rare. Charon kept his mask of indifference on, but his mind was getting overloaded by the existence of this woman. She was not too tall, well built as if she had been eating and working out well all her life. She wore leather armor that she seemed to have patched up on her own, a huge sniper rifle behind her back, along with a backpack. A pistol hung from her waist, along with a large combat knife. He focused on her face, tanned and freckled, large chestnut eyes glaring down at the drunk in dissatisfaction. Her brown hair were braided to the back. He couldn’t blame her expression of disgust, as ghouls were disgusting, he knew that much about himself. When her eyes focused on him he felt his empty stomach jump. Her expression change to the one of curiosity as she eyed him from top to bottom. Charon ignored her and walked back in the bar assuming his position, trying to forget the odd woman.

It was just his luck though that she had entered the ninth circle a few seconds after him. Her eyes traced the bar, her face unreadable.  She locked eyes with him and he did his best to keep his composure. A smoothskin like her was not safe in the wasteland and definitely not safe visiting Azrukhal’s bar. The bar owner noticed her, a sly smirk spreading across his rotting face as she approached the bar. Charon could see them discussing for more than ten minutes. The expressions of the woman gracefully shifted from restrained politeness to fake interest to mild anger to determination, while Azrukhal had his disgusting sly face on up to the very moment he gave him a glance in shock, before smiling cunningly. He noticed that the woman focused on him again. He held his breath as she gave him a smirk, her beautiful features shining through. Then he saw her reach for her combat knife and he immediately stiffened. It all happened in slow motion as the orders of his contract repeated in his mind like a mantra. _Protect the contract holder._ He found himself next to her, shotgun pulled from his back, the canister aimed at her temple as her hand froze. She had the combat knife pointing towards her, the edge of the hilt pressing under Azrukhal’s chin. He looked shocked and amused at the same time as the woman laughed lowly. She had no intention of killing him, otherwise the blade would be facing the other side.

‘’Impressive.’’, she commented, her voice giving out her young age. The woman was not even in her mid-twenties. ‘’My request stands.’’, she added, eyeing the suited ghoul as she withdrew her knife. Charon glanced at Azrukhal and he only lowered his gun when he nodded.

‘’Then I shall offer his services to you. Ten hours, a hundred and fifty caps.’’, the words of his contract holder made Charon’s throat dry up. The smoothskin woman had asked of his services, yet what type of services he was unsure of. Azrukhal being the usual greedy prick, had accepted to whore him out. The woman turned on her bar stool to face him.

‘’Cate. Thank you for your cooperation in advance, Charon.’’, she said, an honest firm smile on her face, her hand extended to him. He was shocked to see her professional attitude especially towards a ghoul. He held his stoic stance as he shook her hand, he could not ignore her proper manners that reminded him too much of his prewar life. She then stood up and straightened her equipment up. ‘’I will be here at eight in the morning to pick you up.’’, she added before turning to Azrukhal. ‘’I am expecting him to be in top performance.’’, she said putting up a serious face as the man nodded to her, his sly smirk never leaving his face. She turned around and walked out the bar, Charon could see Azrukhal’s eyes staring at her toned ass with every step she took, up until she closed the door behind her.

‘’You will be assisting her in retrieving something up from a raider camp.’’, his boss finally said, explaining his role. He was more than glad that he got to shot heads off and not anything more compromising of his position. He looked forward to a little adventure.


	2. A noble cause

How powerful could this asshole of a ghoul feel to have a man like that do his bidding?, Cate thought to herself as she strolled her way in the Underworld. She liked the odd town, as it was the first place she got to see ghouls relax and enjoy themselves, even if they stiffened every time they saw her. She never minded ghouls, even though the initial shock had left her dumbfounded for a few days. She had tried to understand the concept of radiation changing the human body in such a unique way. Just as she though about relaxing and enjoying a beer, she stumbled on another oppressor. The thing with Cate was simple: she hated slavers, she hated oppressors, she hated people forcing other people, taking advantage of their lives. And that was the very reason that as soon as she heard about the bodyguard in the corner and his uses, come from the mouth of the very owner of his so called contract, she had to do something.

She even asked for his contract straight up, thinking of simply releasing him, but she was unsure of the man’s feelings. He had been brainwashed after all. Cate wanted him to desire his freedom. And as a fighter there was no better way to do this than give him a reason to fight for, a good reason. The mission at the metro of south d.c. was one she had planned on getting a hired gun anyway. Too many raiders in odd places meant she would have to shoot quickly at closer range, something she wasn’t good at. She was proficient at sneaking though, as well as sniping from afar, something she had picked up at the vault, along with her close combat abilities. She had her fare chance of honing those skills in the few years she spent out in the wasteland and she became proud of them, proud enough to take down monsters and help anyone needing help. It was the least she could do with her life.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she greeted Winthrop who smiled at her widely, the ghoul had warmed up to her, shocked that she even spoke to him kindly. It was the same reaction Gob had the first time she spoke to him. The only thing that disgusted Cate was indifference and unneeded violence not the appearance of a person. She had seen too much in the wastelands and received so much bulling herself in the vault and out to be discriminating against people. As soon as she stepped in the empty bar she noticed two very different ghouls in the room. One of them was in a checkered black and white suit, behind the bar, counting caps over the counter, a cigar lit and hanging from his lips. His skin had a more greenish color and what was left of his hair was weirdly glued on his skull, as he made the effort to comb them. He glanced at her with a wide smile and opened his arms, as if to welcome her.

‘’Ah, welcome my dear friend!’’, Azrukhal exclaimed, his voice the raspiest Cate had ever heard of. She nodded to him and focused on the other male in the room. Charon had been seated, but he got up on his feet as soon as he saw her. The much taller ghoul was dressed in his combat black leather armor, the shotgun he pressed against her head last night was now hanging behind his back, along with a backpack. He was ready for the mission. His face was as stoic as a freaking statue and Cate thought she had her work cut out for her. Maybe he would become more expressive after a few hours of battle.

‘’Let’s go, Charon.’’, she said and she noticed a slight twitch in his eye as he took two long strands to stand next to her. He was not happy with the position he was brought in.

‘’I believe I need not to mention that I expect the product I am lending to return in the best possible condition.’’, Azrukhal said and Cate felt her stomach turn at the way he referred to another human being. Yet she bore a smile on her face as she retorted.

‘’As long as he can handle himself there will be no issues.’’ She was challenging his promise of Charon being a top notch fighter. The ghoul scoffed and nodded, before Cate turned around and walked out of the bar, the statue of a man following close behind. Cate avoided any conversation in the Underworld and waited for them to step out in the wasteland and take the route towards the metro station she wanted to clear out, before finally talking to him.

‘’I am sure you want to know what this is about.’’, she said and glanced sideways only to see a mask of indifference on the redhead ghoul’s face. His sharp jawline and constant frown made it look as if he was mad at something, clenching on his teeth indefinitely. Cate sighed.

‘’You see I need someone to cover me up, someone that can shoot fast and accurately.’’, she begun and focused on the road ahead, her senses on edge as she scanned for enemies. ‘’I have been eyeing this raider hideout for a few months and I can see that it is occupied by slavers. I want to exterminate the slavers and release the slaves.’’, she kept on and she felt her lips nearly smirk when she saw his brows shoot up in surprise. Who knows what he had thought his mission would be. She wanted to test his morals in a way, hoping that a man that had actually been enslaved himself would feel joy in assisting innocent people. Cate proceeded in showing him the road they would take to the metro in order to avoid the packs of ghouls and teams of super mutants, conserving ammo and energy. The ghoul had nothing to say to her plans and he simply followed.


	3. A very good girl

Charon was definitely impressed by the smooth-skin and her well thought out plan. She seemed to have a lot of experience in sneaking her way around the wasteland. Cate, as he was informed of her name, was not cocky though, she simply admitted her strengths and weaknesses to him and that made him respect her. He had been so used to being around scum and weak people and therefore her presence was refreshing. Yet he knew this was temporary. She too had offered money for his ability to kill. He had been following closely behind as they walked their way around the main D.C. area, crossing the abandoned suburbs. Even when they came across enemies, the woman simply placed a finger on her lips and beckoned him reroute silently. It made him wonder if she could fight at all. He would have plenty of opportunities to figure it out.

A few hours of walking with an empty stomach was nothing for Charon as the feeling of hunger had stopped being an issue since his training. He was not supposed to acknowledge his needs unless they hindered his ability to execute a command or keep the contract holder safe. As night fell around them, the smooth-skin woman approached an abandoned city. Charon recalled how packed it had been with Raiders before. Yet when they approached the place, Cate walked with confidence, as if no one would attack her. The ghoul was very much on edge thinking how could a person that had come up with such a well thought out plan do something so stupid. His grip on his shotgun tightened and his senses were on edge. She suddenly turned to look at him, her almond shaped brown eyes nearly made his heart stop.

Why the fuck was this woman so pure looking?

‘’You can relax here Charon, the place is safe.’’, she commended and smiled widely. The ghoul grunted in response and tried to relax the grip on his weapon. He looked around and was shocked to see no raiders whatsoever. Instead the entire place had come to life, lights hovering between the abandoned buildings. The place had turned in a trading center. A few caravaneers and their guards were closing up shop, while others still stood over their self-made wooden benches, smoking and drinking nonchalantly. Some of them waved at Cate and called out on her, each one of them receiving a warm smile and a greeting from her end. They took a turn off the main road and in a small path that led to a nearly intact building. By the looks of it, it used to be an elementary school, yet the sign and the neon lights made it look like a bar. Charon pursed his lips and followed the woman through the door.

‘’Ah! Cate!’’, a raspy voice echoed over the radio making the patrons of the bar that were not too drunk yet, shift uncomfortably. The man was shocked to see a ghoul behind the bar, tending to a few glasses, polishing them with a cloth. He placed a glass down and reached under the bar to grab on a whiskey bottle. He poured a portion on the glass and left it there as Cate approached the bar and sat on the stool right in front of the glass. The ghoul man glanced at Charon, a surprised expression painted on his face.

‘’You must really like us boss.’’, he chuckled ironically and looked at her. She laughed lowly and grabbed on the glass before glancing back at the, much taller than anyone, ghoul.

‘’Come sit here Charon, have a drink on me. We will rest tonight.’’, she told him and held back a chuckle. It dawned upon Charon that the others did not mind at him being a ghoul following a female like Cate. He sat next to her, trying to seem as less awkward as possible. She smiled widely and Charon forced himself to focus on the decaying face of the man in front of him, even if he wore a grin he did not like.

‘’What can I get ya big guy?’’, he asked.

‘’Beer.’’, Charon grunted and he nodded reaching behind him to take out a beer bottle. He opened it up and placed it on the bar. Charon got a sip and was pleasantly surprised by the cold temperature of the beverage.

‘’We will just grab some food and head up, Gob.’’, the brunette said and downed her whiskey. ‘’Have a room for me?’’, she asked teasingly and Charon suddenly felt weird at the fact that her intentions seemed flirtatious. The man rose his brows and exhaled through his nose. Charon almost chocked on his beer when a red headed woman jumped right behind the man named Gob, basically piggyback riding him. Her smile was wide as her grey-green eyes fell on Cate.

‘’Anything for you Cate. Although its restock weekend, we have a single room available.’’, the woman commented and stood on her feet, leaning over the bench with a seductive smirk. ‘’I guess your new friend would not mind.’’, she added and Charon felt aggravated by her words, especially when he saw Cate’s face turn red and absolutely horrified. Why would a woman like her want a ghoul in the first place? She had been offending her at the very least.

‘’Charon here is a hired gun for my next mission.’’, the brunette hurriedly said and the redhead scoffed.

‘’Apologies my dear I always took you for a girl that likes big strong men and I got ahead of myself. It is the first time you came back with a guy following you.’’, the woman said and shook her hand dismissively. ‘’Will you still be okay with one room?’’, she asked and turned serious. Cate shrugged, much to Charon’s horror.

‘’I guess we have no choice.’’

They followed the redhead that Charon found out was called Nova. Both her and the ghoul behind the bar were old friends of Cate and they gleefully told him how she saved them from a scum named Moriarty that had them work at his bar like slaves, the man tending to the bar and the woman tending to the patrons, offering her body to them. She was more than happy to be just a cook and a cleaning lady in this establishment. Charon did not know what to make out of this smooth-skin as they were led in a single bed room. The bed was large enough, but there was no way Charon would accept sleeping anywhere but the floor. After visiting them again with a tray of food, Nova left them in their silence. Charon sat on the floor, his legs crossed, noticing how oddly Cate looked at him. She seemed as if considering something and she sat opposite of him, making him rise his eyebrows. She offered him a bowl of mashed potatoes and mole rat stew. When she noticed him not accepting she sighed.

‘’I want you to have energy for tomorrow.’’, she simply said and Charon decided to accept the food. After eating in silence the ghoul took it upon himself to repeat his usual habit. He took his shotgun and placed it on the floor. He was shocked to see Cate do the same with her sniper rifle. A smirk played on her face.

‘’Race ya?’’, she challenged and the man nodded and chuckled. The kid was interesting indeed. They both begun aggressively taking apart and cleaning their weapons. Cate was flustered, but did her best to keep up with him. Yet in the end he was faster. She huffed and nodded accepting defeat. She finished putting together her gun and stood up.

‘’Time to sleep!’’, she exclaimed and Charon felt his throat close up. He tensed and remained seated. She gave him a glare. ‘’You are sleeping on the fucking bed.’’, she told him and upon hearing her tone he felt odd. On the one side she looked like a goody two shoes, but on the other she acted much like a raider.

‘’We keep back to back.’’, she added drily and plopped on the bed. She turned to her side, Charon could see her hugging her rifle, even if her back was to him. He pursed his lips considering his next move. She did ask for this and Charon would definitely enjoy a few hours laying on a soft mattress. He stood up and he saw her shoulders tense up as she heard him. He approached the bed and sat on it, making it creak before lying to the side, his back against her, not touching, as if there was an invisible wall.

What the fuck is this smooth-skin’s deal?


	4. Raining bullets in Washington

Cate could feel her nervousness built up as they approached the sniping point she had picked out. The raiders where not just packed in the metro station, but had a few guards patrolling outside. This was a place of business for them after all. She climbed up the cliff at the east side of the metro, the sun had already set and night gave them an advantage. She rose her palm to make Charon stop.

‘’I will snipe the guards around here one by one. When we get in I need you to cover me and shoot every person I cannot sneak up on.’’, she told him and she was met with his cold indifferent gaze.

‘’Do you have night vision installed?’’, he asked, even though Cate was certain he knew she did not. She sighed and tried to position her body better on the rocks. They were both laying on top of the highest point of the cliff, sharp rocks digging in her through the leather armor and jumpsuit. ‘’How are you supposed to snipe them?’’, he added and it was the first time he opposed her suggestion. His face showed he could care less though. The woman scoffed and placed the silencer at the end of the barrel. She brought the scope near her eye, suddenly eager to feel the satisfaction of getting a clean head shot. 

A smirk crept on her face when she located a female raider. The light of the cigarette between her lips made her visible in the darkness that engulfed the area she patrolled. Most of the outside was lit by the entrance lights of the metro, but the guards walked around and she would not be able to see all of them. She had to get rid of the three guards she could not see well first. She held her breath and focused. As the woman parted her lips to let the smoke escape her lungs a hole opened between her eyes. She fell on the ground, dead and Cate tried to locate the other one positioned in the darkness before they start moving around and notice the first corpse.

‘’Bingo.’’, she muttered when she located the shadow of the second raider. She held her breath and shot just above his ear, as she was facing his side. The third one would be on the other side, but was sure he would come to check on the others. She therefore focused on the four raiders positioned around the entrance. They were lucky they had no customers at this hour. Sweat built up on her forehead as she had to take quick shots now. Hold breath. Shoot. _One._ Hold breath. Shoot. _Two._ Hold breath. Shoot. _Three._ Hold breath. Shoot _. Four_. Then the other one hurried to the location, upon hearing bodies fall. He begun cursing and just as he was about to run in and get help, he landed on the ground with a bullet to the head, just like the rest.

Cate withdrew her face from the scope and nodded to herself proudly. When she turned to face Charon, the ghoul’s expression was even sterner than before. She wished she could read minds at that point. They run down the hill and past the dead bodies. As they approached the metal doors that led to the inside of the station, Cate glanced back at him, positioning her rifle on her back and taking out her combat knife.

‘’Remember that you must cover me. Follow me.’’, she commented and the ghoul curled his lips.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Charon was left dumbfounded, as he run behind the smooth-skin in the tunnels of the metro that were fashioned like a prison by the raiders. The only thing that crossed his mind was that the woman was utterly mad. She sneaked behind any target she could at first, but eventually the sirens screamed through the place and raiders armed to the bone came after them. He kept shooting and looting for more than an hour, going deeper and deeper in this disgusting place they had created. Cate could no longer sneak , yet she avoided bullets like she was made of air, her face a mask of restrained fear as she did so. Yet she never backed down. She was not that good at shooting mid-range and she only used her combat knife to slit throats or cut on limbs, making the targets easier for Charon to hit. She also shot with her pistol at point blank range, spilling guts and brain matter with the force of the close shots.

When the blood bath was over the ghoul felt nothing but excitement course allover his body. He hadn’t felt that alive in years. What a magnificent battle it was for him. Yet he never lost his stern mask or indifference towards the woman as they looted the bodies looking not only for ammo and stimpaks, but also for keys to release the slaves that were cooped up in there.

The final part of the mission was a boring one as they had to take the slaves back to the trading center they slept the night before. Charon couldn’t help but focus on the way the smooth-skin treated these people. Her kindness and smile on her face did not match the blood stains all over her skin and armor. She seemed even tenser on their way back, even if she tried to act relaxed for the sake of the fifteen people she carried on her back at that point. Upon reaching the trading center she led the slaves in a hospital like establishment and proceeded to lead them both back to the bar. Charon counted the gratitude this woman got from the people. The word thank you was said fifty four times.

As they walked in the bar he nearly reached for his shotgun, as he was taken by surprise by all the cheers, yells and whistles of praise she got from the bar patrons as well as the two people handling the bar, the woman named Nova and the ghoul named Gob. Charon felt something claw on his gut when the woman took a theatrical bow in the middle of the bar, face still ridden with blood. She turned to look at him with a smirk.

‘’Let’s get you back to your boss…’’, she told him with an indifferent expression.


	5. Regular customer

Charon was once more standing at the corner of the ninth circle, bound to protect the filthy bar and its even filthier owner. A few days went by ever since his adventure with the smooth-skin and he hated how he looked back in remorse. He shouldn’t have gotten a taste of real action like that, as he now wished he could have it more often. He was more than shocked when at the beginning of the following week, the ninth circle was blessed by the presence of none other than Cate and the ghoul could not believe that the woman hired him yet again.

Their mission was way simpler this time around. They had to get rid of a raider group that made camp way too close to the trading center, which Charon found out was called Trading Mills. It was only a few hours work and the man was certain that Cate could handle it on her own. The woman was absolutely crazy skilled with a sniper and a knife and she practically emasculated all the males in the trading center. They treated her pretty much like a commander, even if she acted like she was just a resident there. Before they headed back to the Underworld, Cate led him to a place different than the bar. He was taken aback when the woman took out a pair of keys and opened up a metal door at a building right next to the bar. A flight of stairs from the outside led to the third floor of the previously destroyed building. Below that floor lived a merchant and his family. It was definitely refreshing to see families maintaining houses and jobs in the post apocalyptic Wasteland.

‘’Charon. I have something for you.’’, she suddenly told him, her casual, kind expression pasted on her face. The only moment he saw her expression change was during battle. She looked bewildered, as if a demon took over her body.  The ghoul brought his attention to her, keeping his stoic face on as always.

She opened the door and beckoned him to follow her. He obliged and walked in a very humble and full functioning home. He scanned the area noticing the single couch, coffee table, full functioning kitchen behind, a few iron closets and a set of stairs leading to the second floor where he counted three closed wooden doors, one next to another.

‘’Make yourself comfortable.’’, the woman told him and Charon found himself stiffen, since he was unsure of what to do. She shut the door and approached the kitchen table. Charon did so as well and sat on one of the chairs, his eyes on the woman as she approached one of the three lockers that were against the wall. She opened one of them and took out two medium sized pouches and placed them on the table. She locked eyes with him, those chestnut eyes gleaming dangerously at him.

‘’These are yours.’’, she suddenly told him and pushed the two pouches towards him. She pulled another one, smaller and placed it in front of him as well. Charon was taken by surprise and couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at her. Refusing to make any early assumptions, he opened up the first pouch to see shotgun ammo. The second one contained about ten stimpaks, almost a fortune these days, and the last one contained bottlecaps. What the hell was that woman thinking? He could not accept anything not given by his employer and even then it wasn’t his. He either just carried it, or used it as ordered.

‘’I cannot take this.’’, he simply said and held back a chuckle when he saw the most devastated expression on Cate’s face.

‘’Why not?’’

‘’My contract does not allow it.’’, his voice tone might as well make him a robot. The woman frowned.

‘’Very well.’’, she blurted out. ‘’Let’s go back to the underworld. I have a few stuff for Winthrop.’’, she added indifferently and gathered the pouches, placing them back in the locker.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_That damned contract!_ Cate kept cursing in her head. She only wanted to give the man the share of loot from the past missions and he could not even accept them. The brunet mumbled in her head, while looking down at her whiskey glass.

‘’Why do you keep taking that man with you?’’, Gob suddenly asked her, leaning over the bench. Cate glanced up at him, surprised, as she was forced out of her thoughts.

‘’I could use the extra help.’’, she commented and shrugged.

‘’No you don’t.’’, he said and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘’If I knew you had a thing for ghouls boss, I would have hit you up long ago.’’, he added, a smirk played on his lips. Cate rose a brow, trying to act cool at his comment as Nova smacked the back of his head with an angry face, making him laugh apologetically. Even the rocks in Megaton knew Gob adored Nova from the very first moment they met, back when they were working for that scumbag Moriarty.

‘’Seriously though, don’t play around with Azrukhal.’’, Gob suddenly said and his eyes darkened. Cate frowned. ‘’I may have not visited my mother for a long time, but Azrukhal I do remember. He is vile and he enjoys torturing others. Charon he cannot torture physically, because of the rules of his contract, but he can make him do all sorts of things.’’

The woman rose her brows and patiently waited for him to carry on. Gob sighed and glanced to the side.

‘’I mean, you sure are a very strong woman boss, but you are very attractive as well.’’, he was practically mumbling, as if he did not want to keep on talking. ‘’Azrukhal mainly wants Charon as a guard dog, but on his earlier years he would send him out to raid and loot various locations. The ghoul would return victorious every time. Yet sometimes the loot was not caps, or chems, but women.’’, the words basically hit her like a tsunami. She frowned and now another negative epithet was added over the filthy bar owner's head.

‘’I do not know if Charon had a go at them too, but Azrukhal certainly did. The man practically drugged and raped them. Some of them were even raider bosses. Strong women.’’, he added and locked eyes with her. ‘’Like you boss.’’

Cate took in a ragged breath, as both the ghoul and his partner who heard everything, went silent. She would not dare fear the filthy man. She would release Charon of him and then whatever he truly was would come to the surface. She hoped that her next visit to the ninth circle was going to be the last.


	6. New boss

Cate walked through the main doors of the Underworld with a strained expression on her face. Her backpack was heavier, not only by her equipment, but also by the bottle caps she had collected in order to buy Charon’s contract. She only had a single question for him, before she attempted to approach Azrukhal. The vile bar owner had agreed to a price the first time she spoke to him, four thousand caps. It was a large amount, but Cate rarely used money for herself, plus part of it was loot that rightfully belonged to Charon.

It was yet too early in the day and the ninth circle was empty when she walked in. The only people she saw were Azrukhal and Charon. They were perhaps expecting her to hire the larger ghoul for another mission, but Cate approached the red head first. Charon was taken aback, narrowing his eyes down at her. What a beast that man was. Cate could not help but imagine how he must have looked like when he was human.

‘’You want out of here?’’, she asked him and he simply frowned. ‘’I need to know.’’, she added and she could feel Azrukhal’s eyes on them.

‘’You may answer Charon.’’, the greenish ghoul spoke eerily and Cate realized he had been previously ordered not to.

‘’Yes.’’, he spoke immediately, making Cate’s heart flutter in an odd satisfaction. She gave him a smirk and turned her back to him, approaching the bar. She looked Azrukhal in the eyes as she took the bag of caps out of her backpack and placed it on the bench.

‘’Four thousand, like you said.’’, she told him and the ghoul widened his eyes with a satisfied smile. ‘’For Charon’s contract.’’, Cate added and the disgusting man sniggered, before he threw his head back, laughing.

‘’Well well now miss Cate, what a marvelous businesswoman you are.’’, he commented and the woman could see his hazy eyes gleam. ‘’But the price has gone up.’’, he added and Cate felt her stomach sink in her body.

‘’Eight thousand.’’, he told her, slowly forming the words with his lips.

‘’What the fuck is wrong with you?’’, she exclaimed. ‘’That’s double the price!’’

‘’Well I am sure you have seen he is well worth it.’’, he shrugged at her infuriated reaction and Cate’s eyes twitched. She glanced back to see Charon just stand there like a statue. She really wished she could read minds. Then it hit her. It would be a tricky and dangerous move, but she felt like she would be serving justice for all the other women that man had violated in the past.

She sighed and tried her best to put up an act she never had to do before. She looked up at him and parted her lips.

‘’Maybe we could work something out…’’, she spoke slowly and the reaction Azrukhal gave nearly made her lose face. He widened his eyes and opened his ragged lips in disbelief. He suddenly grinned in a cunning way.

‘’What are you suggesting miss Cate?’’, he dragged out the words.

‘’Well I cannot possibly suggest it in front of others.’’, she spoke huskily and she could see his Adam’s apple bounce as he swallowed hard.

‘’Charon, out!’’, he suddenly ordered, not even sparing a glance at the ghoul. Cate did not dare look at him either, she somehow felt dirty. Yet she knew that it was the perfect payback for the sake of all these women he had abused. She heard the door shut behind them and she was sure the man would stand right outside, waiting, in case something happened to his boss. He was bound to protect him at all costs after all.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Fuck._ Was all that Charon thought. The smooth-skin had actually gathered the amount of money the asshole asked for his contract and even then he denied it to her, doubling the price. She asked him, she dared ask him if he wanted out of there. Why wouldn’t he? Charon huffed and tapped his right foot nervously. She came onto him and Azrukhal would not miss a chance like that. He still recalled his vile comments on her ass and lips and how he suggested that he would force Charon to apprehend her so that he would have a go at her, as soon as she stopped buying his services. It seemed that there was no need for that. If only Cate knew what Azrukhal had done to all these other women. Charon felt disgusted with himself for having brought them to him. He run one hand over his face and tried not to think about what was happening behind the door.

He did not want to admit it, but there was a sting of hate and frustration boiling inside of him. For some reason he did not want the smooth-skin to give herself to that jerk, or any jerk for that matter. Charon could not understand what was wrong with him and he tried to shove all these thoughts away. A few moments went by and the lack of any noise or movement struck him as odd. He could hear mumbling up till now, but every sound had suddenly stopped. He felt his stomach sink, making all kinds of assumptions. He thought on his order. Azrukhal had simply ordered him out, never mentioning when he was allowed to come back in. He took a deep breath and opened the door up, what he saw had been definitely unexpected.

Cate’s eyes glared at him in shock, she obviously did not want to be seen like that. Her legs were wide open, pieces of armor scattered around as she was propped on the bar bench. Her suit was open at the top, revealing her breasts, blood smeared on her skin. Beneath her feet was now laying Azrukhal, dead, his throat slit open. Charon’s brain overloaded. He had no master, no one to obey now and he had failed to protect the previous one. He was bound to avenge his death and that meant killing Cate. He frowned as his body moved on its own, following the rules of the contract that were wired into his brain. He reached for the shotgun and aimed at Cate, focusing on her widening eyes. He then froze in place. In her right hand she held a piece of paper, a very familiar piece of paper.

‘’I have your contract Charon.’’, she told him and he gritted his teeth as he was now bound to a new master. He lowered his gun and averted his gaze as she cleaned herself up and zipped up her jumpsuit. She put her armor back on and stepped over Azrukhal’s body to approach him.

‘’Here.’’, she told him and shoved the piece of paper in his hands.


	7. In chains

Charon stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the piece of paper Cate held against his torso with force. He focused on her chestnut eyes again, her determination shining through. He still could not wrap his head around the fact that his previous employer was now dead and that his contract had been passed on Cate. It seemed, though, as if she did not realize it.

‘’Take it. You are free.’’, her words stung him. He could never be free and he doubted that she would be able to understand that.

‘’You want me to hold it mistress?’’, he asked her, the rules of his contract taking over his brain. He had stopped calling Azrukhal master after the first few years of being under his service. Luckily the filthy bartender did not mind him not using that term. Charon could see her eyebrow twitch.

‘’What the fuck did you call me?’’, she nearly whispered the question and Charon straightened up.

‘’I could call you any way you like, mistress. It is included in my contract.’’, he explained robotically. He was in that stage, where he would have to explain all the rules to the new employer, but he did not mind. For once he did not mind his current employer. Cate moved her lips, as if to speak, but no sound came out. She simply stared at him in disbelief.

‘’I am giving you your contract Charon. I want you to be free.’’, she spoke, slowly, as if she thought she had to for Charon to understand her words.

‘’I am afraid my contract does not work this way.’’, his words and face remained emotionless. ‘’If you do not wish to keep my services you may sell my contract, but I can never be self-employed.’’ Cate widened her eyes and remained silent for a few minutes. She suddenly sighed and ran her hand over her face. She folded the paper and tucked inside her jumpsuit, over her right breast, making Charon feel awkward, but pleased in a way.

‘’There is no way of getting it through your thick ghoul skull is there?’’, she mumbled to herself, not even looking at him.

‘’Don’t you dare call me a fucking mistress. You call me by my name.’’, she added as she turned her back to him, walking out of the ninth circle with a final mumble. ‘’Let’s go.’’

\--------------------------

Cate did not see that coming. She had no idea the brainwashing had such effects on the man and now she found herself being the very thing she hated. A slaver. An owner of a person. She huffed as she gulped down the remnants of the whiskey in her glass.

‘’You might want to slow down miss Cate. Alcohol inhibits proper reactions.’’, the large ghoul commented. He had been sitting next to her, after following her every move around the trading center. The brunette could not believe the change of character after she had become the owner of his contract. Sure, he was still stern and emotionless as fuck, but he was now careful for her, something he wasn’t before, when his employer was Azrukhal. Gob scoffed and filled up her glass, receiving a death glare from Charon. The smaller ghoul shrugged his shoulders.

‘’Boss’s orders.’’, he told him with a smirk and Charon did not react. Cate focused on Gob, who seemed to be enjoying the situation, despite Cate’s frustration. She merely wanted to release another slave.

‘’Still its better you than anyone else.’’, Gob commented, as if he could read Cate’s mind. She had been thinking about that. She would have preferred it if the giant ghoul had gone along his merry way, doing whatever the hell he wanted with his life, than being stuck with her. Yet if his binding to the contract was that severe, it would be better to be here, than be owned by some other scumbag who might order him to do immoral things. She glanced up at him, actually looking in his eyes for once, noticing a blue color beneath the haziness.

_What the fuck do I do with him now?_


	8. A moment of peace

Cate hated to admit it, but having that oversized ghoul tag along with her on her missions was a great help. Destroying raider camps had become an easy task now and the trading routes had cleared up in just two weeks. Yet it felt so wrong. She felt like a monster, owning a person like that. The man would obey her every order no matter what it was. Cate noticed how he would even neglect to eat or take care of wounds unless ordered to do so and it had become tiresome to say the least. She did not want a fucking robot follow her around. She wanted him to follow her because he wanted to do so.

_What is wrong with me?_

That last though made her hands freeze over the parts of her sniper rifle that had been carefully scattered on the workbench. Did she really want him to _want_ to stay on his own? The man was nearly unreadable, his only comments revolved around battle, or Cate’s well-being, all laced with indifference, and decorated with hints of sassiness. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was part of the damned contract to take care of the employer like that. Cate lifted her gaze and stared at the closed door on the far left. Charon’s room. Cate gave him the space and bought furniture for him, despite him insisting that there was no need for him to have his own room, as it would not increase the quality of his services. She scoffed and grabbed on the bottle of beer beside her, leaning back on her seat. She brought the bottle near her lips and took a big swig, before sighing.

She had given him the order to withdraw in his private room whenever he needed or wanted to. After that the man spent most of his time in the trading center locked up in the room unless he was ordered otherwise. Cate couldn’t help but vision him behind the wall, imagining what he might be doing. She knew he was reading Cate’s books, since she practically ordered him to borrow some when he was bored after the first few days of having him stare at her constantly during her down time it the house.

She placed the beer on the table once more and walked to one of her lockers, opening it up. Her suit was just hanging there and she took the damned piece of paper from the inside pocket. She sat on the couch, ignoring her gun that needed tending to and went through the lines of Charon’s contract once more. She pursed her lips in frustration. _Russian he said._ She had asked the ghoul what language it was and he replied robotically, offering to read it out for her. But even though he claimed to have transferred the contents of it fully, she was sure he did not mention a few things. Cate wanted to know how, why and when the man became brainwashed in such a way. But that damned rule on how he was not obliged to answer private details on him or his previous employers, made things even more difficult.

Cate’s only hope was a friendly scribe at the Citadel. She had been searching the vaults that took part in various experiments, some of them including the creation of super soldiers. Cate had dared to enter a couple of vaults on her own, but could not explore the entire thing. She hated the silence of the iron walls and the struggle that had been pressed into them over time. She sighed and folded the paper. _He won’t like this…_

 

\--------------------------------------------

_Relaxed_. Charon never though he would feel this way ever again, but his new employer had been a very considerate person, providing luxuries he never had before. It felt almost unreal, as if he would wake up one morning back on the floor of the ninth circle, waking up from a dream. The past two weeks had been nothing but a mish mash of fights to clean up certain locations from raiders and relaxing days in the trading center. Charon could eat, drink water or booze, have relaxing showers and even read. He had missed reading a lot and he really enjoyed the collection the smoothskin had gathered. He could hear the woman walking around downstairs, probably meddling with her gun or prepping medical equipment for the center. Apart from being a great sniper and stealthy close combat fighter, the woman was also an excellent doctor and assisted the actual doctor of the trading center whenever she was around. This town seemed to be attracting all sorts of people, most of them having one thing in common, a traumatic past.

The massive ghoul placed the book on the nightstand next to him and got up from the bed. Even if he had declined her kindness, he was more than glad for her stubborn head. She had provided him the seclusion of a room, fully furnished with a bed, a nightstand, a locker and trunk to keep his armor and weapons and even some clothing. He walked to a chair where he had thrown a white tank top and put it on his body. He wore soft grey pants at the bottom, enjoying the relief of not wearing a leather armor all the damn time. His irradiated and patched up skin felt so much better like that. He opened up his door and got out of the room. The first thing he saw was his employer’s gun, in pieces on the kitchen table. She was sitting on the couch nonchalantly, a beer in one hand, and her combat knife in the other. She seemed so deep in thought, as she twirled the knife in her single hand, showing a great deal of skill. Her eyes were lowered to hardwood floor, a shade of pink colored her freckled cheeks. Charon could deduce that she had been drinking the night away and damn him if she did not look unbelievably attractive just then.

Charon had to shove all his nasty thoughts to the back of his mind since this woman was his employer, his mistress. Plus she was the only one who had ever showed him a shred of kindness and generosity. But the way the grey oversized tank top fell on her tanned and fairly scarred skin allowing her nipples to show through the fabric and the way the black short shorts she wore bunched up way high up her legs, exposing the flesh, made him bite his tongue inside his mouth. She liked to sit cross-legged everywhere when she was relaxed or at home, and at that point her cross-legged stance made Charon swallow hard.

_Snap out of it you asshole._

He mentally cursed himself and walked down the stairs, finally catching her attention. Her chestnut eyes fell on his hazy blue ones and there was a moment when her red lips parted slightly before her usual expression returned on her face. She smiled at him and pointed her beer to him before emptying it.

‘’Join me why don’t you?’’, she told him. An indirect order, but an order nonetheless. Yet Charon did not mind, he wanted a beer. He walked to the fridge and took one of the many cold bottles. He opened it at the corner of the table and upon glancing at Cate he noticed how her drunken eyes focused on his hands and shoulders. He felt uncomfortable at the thought that the woman might feel disgusted upon viewing his patched up skin that tied up with exposed muscle. He made a grunt and took a few hearty gulps from the bottle.


	9. Daring suggestions

Charon approached the table with the weapon parts and glanced over them, before focusing on Cate once more. She had a hard time giving back a steady expression since she was now piss drunk. She liked to do so before a big mission.

‘’You want me to fix it miss Cate?’’, he asked, his voice as gruff and flat as ever, face a mask of indifference. Cate had become sick of the way he called her and felt like she delayed her input on it for the past two weeks.

‘’Can you please just call me Cate?’’, she mumbled and rolled her eyes at him. His expression did not change.

‘’You want me to fix it, Cate?’’, he spoke once more, asking the same question, but calling her differently. It felt so much better. She shrugged her shoulders and then recalled that the man needed orders.

‘’Go ahead.’’, she told him and through her buzz she was still able to focus her eyes on his exposed arms as he worked over her sniper rifle, cleaning it and putting it together in a less than two minutes. The brunet could not avert her gaze from the way his big arms moved with so much dexterity and skill, muscles and tendons flexing constantly beneath the patched skin. She couldn’t help but have questions and her drunken state did not hold her tongue back.

‘’Does it hurt?’’, she asked and after the ghoul placed the sniper on the table he narrowed his eyes at her, waiting for her to elaborate on her question.

‘’Your skin I mean.’’

‘’No.’’, flat, as always.

‘’Can I touch it?’’ _For fucks sake, someone sew my mouth shut._ Cate could not control herself and she recalled the man’s mantra whenever she saw her drinking. _Alcohol inhibits proper reactions._ She saw him stiffen, his expression still blank.

\----------------

_Can I touch it?_ Her words echoed in his mind and he blanked out for a split second, all the blood rushing to his groin. Sure he had been touched before by her in order to patch up his wounds, but it had a medical note to it and the woman always wore a face of restrained, possible disgust, probably in the sight of his worn out skin. She had not given an order but he could answer her literally as he always did.  

‘’You can.’’, he told her and the pink shade on her cheeks became even more evident. She stood from the couch hesitantly, walking near him.

‘’The contract does not specify the contact thing.’’, she mumbled as she approached him and he felt his heart skip a beat. ‘’I mean... If the employer is not violent is he or she entitled to have physical contact with you?’’, she asked, walking on a very thin line. At that point, it looked as if she simply said whatever was in her mind.

‘’ Physical violence on your part invalidates our contract. If there is no violence involved I supposed you are allowed to have contact with me physically.’’, he mouthed to her, as flat as possible. _What could possibly be in her mind?_ The woman suddenly scoffed and as he stretched out an arm for her, he felt her fingers travel on his skin. He shivered, but she did not seem to notice. He hadn’t been touched so lightly since he was a young man, prewar, before he joined the forces.

‘’Wow, it feels so warm and rough.’’, she mumbled as she traced his bicep. He couldn’t help but focus on her plump lips. He had a few female employers, but none of them were as gentle and at the same time as ruthless as Cate. It made him mad at his own self and the thoughts that had developed in his mind in such a short period of time.  

‘’So if I asked you to fuck me, you would do it?’’, she suddenly asked, locking eyes with him for a split second, before looking away quickly, withdrawing her hands as well. Charon nearly had a heart attack. She covered her face, a mixed expression of disgust and embarrassment was still visible and Charon was unsure if he should answer.

‘’Yes.’’, he spoke out of instinct and the woman stared at him wide eyed. He could see her chest rise and fall in sync with her panting. He felt frozen in time, waiting for a reaction. She suddenly chuckled and then laughed to herself, as if she was trying really hard to break the tension.

‘’I’m sorry Charon, that was uncomfortable. I would never make you do anything that would not be for your own good. Why would you want a clueless kid like me anyway?’’, she laughed some more and went for another beer, leaving Charon still frozen, contemplating on her words.


	10. Meeting the meatheads

Charon did not need a reason for everything Cate decided to do and especially not for the various missions. Yet when she mentioned visiting the Brotherhood of steel’s headquarters, aka the Citadel, he was a bit concerned. What he knew of these people was very much against him. They hated anything remotely non-human with a passion, and Charon could not imagine the all-inclusive, fight for the weak, Cate having any affiliations with them. After a few days of casual travel around the wasteland, where they acted as if the conversation they had before about Charon possibly having sexual intercourse with Cate never occurred, they were now just outside the Citadel. The brunet smoothskin holstered her pistol, motioning Charon to put his shotgun aside as well. He did not like this one bit. He could feel the scrutiny even behind the metal pieces of the power armor that covered the two guards’ faces.

‘’We haven’t seen you in a while kid.’’, a female voice was heard and Charon looked behind the guards to see a woman approach them. Cate smiled from ear to ear and approached the blonde woman with the hazy grey eyes.

‘’Elder Sarah!’’, Cate exclaimed.

‘’Your arrival is very fortunate as we are in need of a stealthy soldier like yourself.’’, the woman spoke in a formal manner, but the way she looked at the brunet showed familiarity. When she noticed Charon though, a dark shadow covered her characteristics. Cate rolled her eyes.

‘’Of course every time I stop by you have something for me.’’, she commented and crossed her arms under her chest. ‘’But this time I need your help as well.’’ The blonde woman rose her eyebrows and exhaled.

‘’Anything for you Cate, but you know…’’, she pursed her lips and focused her eyes on Charon. ‘’…your friend might not like it here.’’ Charon could not hold back a frown. Cate merely scoffed at her.

‘’You always hang out with the odd bunch.’’, the woman called Sarah kept on and Cate narrowed her eyes.

‘’Who I hang out with is my business Sarah. Now are you letting us in or not? I need to speak with a scribe of yours. And I might consider your mission, if your boys play nice.’’, she told the elder with a lot of sassiness in her voice. Charon did not know what to make of it. He was clearly the elephant in the room here and no matter how much the contract forced him to protect his mistress in body, he also felt like he had to protect her reputation.

\-------------

‘’Thank you for accepting to see me scribe Jameson.’’, Cate told the platinum haired female. She stood from her seat as soon as she saw the brunette enter the room, the other scribes gave her no more than a few glances. She certainly hadn’t visited in months, but they had seen her before. The woman in her red scribe robes gave Cate a smile, her brown eyes were tinted red around the iris, signs of exhaustion. The woman loved her work and basically spent her entire day in this floor of the Citadel where the scribes worked with books and technology. Part of her research revolved around the vaults, an electronic map of them was hanging from one of the walls in the room.

‘’I have a few hollow tags for you.’’, the brunette added and stuffed her hand in one of the side pockets of her backpack, fishing out four hollow tags that used to be hanging from the bodies of long gone Brotherhood of Steele soldiers. The woman received them with a bittersweet expression on her face.

‘’What can I do for you my dear?’’, the platinum haired woman told her. Scribe Jameson was very goal driven and strict, but she was the kindest member she met in the Brotherhood. She was appreciative of Cate’s own thirst for knowledge and constant loot of books and technology she brought her every few weeks or months.

‘’I am interested in super soldier experiments. You mentioned once that there were a few vaults that joined in.’’, Cate spoke and as the woman in front of her nodded and walked near the digital map she followed closely behind. She placed her finger over one of the vaults.

‘’Vault 92 is the closest one to our area. They used white noise to affect the residents.’’, she spoke and the brunette pursed her lips.

‘’Anything about experiments connected with Russia?’’, she commented and the scribe frowned.

‘’If you are looking for something specific you should say so. It would be easier for me to help you.’’, the scribe’s voice was sincere and Cate couldn’t help but sigh. She looked around to make sure the other scribes were minding their own business. She unzipped the top part of her blue jumpsuit, the number 101 long gone, as she had scratched it off, and shoved one arm in the right part of the bra. The glare she received from the scribe was positively comical. She fished out Charon’s contract and unfolded it. She turned the paper so that the woman could see.

‘’This contract has been forced on a person via brainwashing and I am trying to find the source of these experiments.’’, Cate commented and the scribe narrowed her eyes at the Russian letters. She mouthed a few of them, probably knowing some Russian herself and then averted her eyes and sighed.

‘’I want to help Cate, I really do, but I need a few hours.’’, she told her and pinched the top of her nose between her eyes. ‘’Stay the night and I will take a look on the only lead I have. I just can’t recall where the hell that file is...’’, she kept on, mumbling the final words as she looked around the room. Cate nodded, satisfied that she would at least try to give her a lead.

‘’The elder has a mission for you, so if you are thinking about paying me back, please complete that mission. I don’t want to lose other soldiers, simply because they are way too noisy to do this one properly. It has to do with a technology piece.’’, the scribe’s expression showed that she expected Cate to accept on the spot. She had no choice. She nodded and walked out of the archives, looking for elder Sarah.

\---------

Charon clenched on the beer bottle in his hand to the point that if he used additional force it would shatter in his palm. He kept his eyes focused on the bar bench under his elbows and did not dare move from the bar stool of the Citadel cafeteria. He could hear the mumbles and noises of the members of the Brotherhood, soldiers, paladins, knights, scribes, however they were called, eating and discussing missions and other things among themselves. The thing was that Charon felt completely out of place. Cate had left him there to have a beer until she was done talking to the scribe she had been looking for. She seemed friendly with a handful of people here, while ignoring the rest actively. Yet he could see all the members of the Brotherhood eyeing them with disgust. _They think we are fucking… Her reputation is ruined._ Charon thought to himself and took a big gulp as if trying to silence his thoughts with the alcohol.

‘’I can’t believe that Cate is hanging around with a freaking zombie.’’, Charon heard right next to him, so close that it was obvious the person on his left was speaking to him. Charon lifted his gaze to face the black-haired man who plopped himself on the bar stool next to Charon, a smug expression on his face. He was unshaven and he seemed to be in his forties. Two more men followed, approaching him, as the bartender beers to them. Charon pursed his lips in dissatisfaction in the presence of the idiotic males. _What is this, high school?_

‘’I had no idea the savior of the wastes had such a disgusting kink.’’, another one commented and Charon focused mostly on the way they referred to her persona. Cate certainly had a reputation here.

‘’Get lost.’’, Charon grunted, flatly and he barely held himself back from punching the ironic expressions off the men’s faces. They burst out laughing and Charon clenched his fist. The ghoul was way bigger than them physically, but his position made him feel small for some reason.

‘’I bet her pussy is sweet though, huh zombie?’’, the black-haired man commented and nudged Charon’s elbow. The blue eyed ghoul glared at him, aggression pumping through his veins. He was insulting his contract holder and even though the contract never mentioned defending reputation and honor, Charon felt as if he had to do something about these disgusting men. ‘’She was raised in a vault after all, I bet she tastes different than any other wasteland girl.’’, another one said and they laughed again.

‘’Damn and I wanted to have her sooo bad. I was close too.’’, the black haired man was now talking to one of his friends, ignoring the ghoul completely.

‘’No way she would hit it with you man, she is way too proud.’’

‘’I’m telling you I had her! Now she is ruined by freaking zombie dick, what a waste.’’

The final comment made Charon snap. He stood from his seat and turned to face the brotherhood soldiers.

‘’You can call me a zombie all you want, but if you dare insult miss Cate I will pull your guts out with my bare hands.’’, the ghoul spoke, letting zero feelings pour out in his words. He spoke flatly, coldly and his stern expression made the men freeze.

‘’What the fuck are you doing Tom?’’, the ghoul heard a very familiar voice behind him, laced with aggression and disgust. The black-haired man focused on something behind Charon and the ghoul could sense his mistress walk closer to him, just as he was about to snap. He wondered if she had heard everything. The man she called Tom chuckled and stood from his seat, his two pals standing behind him. They all eyed Cate as she took her place right next to Charon.

‘’Just getting to know your friend here.’’, he spoke and lowered his face near hers.

‘’Insulting him, you mean.’’ _Fuck, she heard everything._ The man chuckled again and rubbed the back of his neck, averting his gaze.

‘’I mean you expect us to allow a zombie in here? What the hell are you doing with that bag of flesh?’’, he spoke again, raising his chest proudly, as if showing off his manliness and more human like features. Yet he was still shorter and scrawnier than the ghoul opposite of him. Cate scoffed and did something that left Charon frozen in shock. She grabbed him by his leather armor and pulled him near her. He had no time to react as she planted her lips on his. It was for a split second, but Charon felt his entire body come to life, his eyes widened and he did his best to remain as emotionless as possible.

‘’What I am doing is my business alone. Charon is ten times the man you are you little soldier boy, so why don’t you all go in your bunker and suck each other’s dicks, huh? I bet that’s all the action you are getting with that attitude.’’, she spat out at them with pure sassiness, her hands firmly planted on her waist. The men were left dumbfounded, their expressions nearly matching Charon’s. ‘’Let’s go, Charon.’’, she added and turned around, walking out of the cafeteria, the ghoul following her tracks.

_What the hell just happened?_


	11. The elephant in the room

Cate felt the blood rush to her face and she was glad the ghoul was walking behind her, unable to see her embarrassed expression. The assholes had pushed too far and she wanted to push back. She wasn’t going to accept their comments like that. She would have gutted them, but she knew better. She took a turn for the room Sarah lended her and Charon. It had four beds, but the knights were away on a mission, so they could borrow the place for a night until the scribe had the information Cate wanted. Yet before she could act on her primary objective she had to complete the mission the elder gave her: retrieving a memory chip from a ghoul infested library to the north. Apparently the knights that were sent there had been unable to locate it and some of them even died as they were not able to slip past the great number of ghouls and locate the chip. She waited for Charon to walk in the room as well before shutting the door. She felt her shoulders relax as soon as the metal sound echoed on the walls. She looked around at the small room. Four single bed and four lockers. She placed her backpack on one of them. She did not want to look at Charon, but she did have to explain to him what they were going to do next.

She mustered enough courage and locked eyes with him. She felt her heart jump in her chest when she saw his face as stern as ever. He simply stood there like a statue, waiting for God knows what.

‘’We will rest here tonight until the scribe finds something I want. We will also have to visit an abandoned library and get a chip for them. The place is packed with ferals though, so it will be tough.’’, she told him and the only response she got was a twitch of his brow at the world ferals.

‘’So we better rest for now.’’, she mumbled and sat on the bed, focusing on her backpack, as if she had something to pull out of it.

‘’Care to explain what was that back there?’’, she heard him and it was one of the rare times the man spoke on his own accord. It showed how much the action had shocked him. Cate sighed and looked at him again.

‘’I am sorry I used you to make a point. It must have been embarrassing for a man like you to be used like that.’’, she mumbled apologetically, hoping he would not be too mad. Yet she did not regret it. Even if she did it for the wrong reasons, the feel of his ragged lips on hers and the musty scent of his skin were gnawing on the corners of remaining sanity. _You are supposed to help the man, not take advantage of him! Snap out of it Cate! ghould_

 

The man took a big breath and closed his eyes for a few seconds before the unnaturally blue orbs focused on her again.

‘’Embarrassing? ‘’, he asked with a strain in his voice. It was clear he was trying to keep it steady. ‘’You think I was embarrassed?’’, the woman averted her gaze for a split second. ‘’ I was furious for ruining your reputation with my presence and you went and did that. Miss Cate aren’t you disgusted?’’, he suddenly asked and the woman widened her eyes. She stood up.

‘’Have I ever showed any sing of disgust towards you Charon?’’, she asked carefully and the man shifted uncomfortably, as if the question strained him physically. ‘’And I don’t give a fuck what these people think. They are vile and disgusting. I wish we were doing what they were implying, I would be proud of it.’’, she added and then bit her lip. Her eyes widened at her own statement. She hadn’t given it much thought before blurting it out. She covered her face with her palms. Silence burdened the room.

‘’Miss Cate.’’, she heard Charon’s voice and she scoffed, glaring at him in amusement.

‘’Are we disobeying orders Charon? You are supposed to call me Cate.’’, she commented and the ghoul barely smirked.

‘’Go to sleep Charon. We have a mission tomorrow and I want to get on with it and leave the Citadel as soon as possible.’’, she told him, an order he had to follow.

\-----

Charon needed the upcoming mission more than anything. Mostly because he wanted to fill his mind with images of blood and gore and forget what had happened in the Citadel. He still could not believe what Cate had done and he was still wondering why she would expose herself in this way. The man knew what he was: a killing machine that looked like a monster. He had accepted that ever since his first employment and never looked for romance in his life. He couldn’t have, as he was practically married to that contract. He had sex, sure, but it was only if his employers allowed him to blow some steam with some random ghoulete who was kinky enough to fuck a killer like him. Yet he felt something stir in his chest every time he glanced at his current employer. Such a fierce and yet kind woman. She was quite a looker too, her feminine face and well-built from the battles, body. He couldn’t help but wonder how she would look beneath him, naked, sweating and panting away his name… _Focus you dumb animal!_ He mentally cursed himself and brought his attention to the building that towered in front of them.

‘’I have fought ferals a handful of times, but the elder mentioned that the place is festered. And we will have to head for the third floor of the library.’’, the woman next to him spoke. They were both ducking behind rubble, staring at the double wooden doors of the library. Charon knew he had an advantage against ghouls, as they would hesitate to attack him immediately. Cate would not be as lucky and that meant for him that he would be extra careful for her. The woman sighed and tucked a strand of her hair back in her tight ponytail.

‘’At least I know where and what to look for.’’, she commented and then turned her chestnut eyes to look at Charon. ‘’Stealth will be tough though. If I get too close they can smell me.’’

‘’I can go and get it for you.’’, Charon spoke and the woman’s eyes widened. ‘’Order me to do so.’’, he added flatly and exhaled in exasperation.

‘’You are not my soldier, we fight together. You won’t be doing things for me, especially if it involves risking your life like that.’’, she replied with the same flatness in her voice, but the man felt his heart jump at her words.

‘’Let’s go.’’, she added and held her pistol in one hand before rising to her feet and approaching the entrance of the building with careful steps, the midday sun casting on her figure.


	12. In the hole

_Fuck, fuck, fuck…_ Charon kept mentally cursing himself for having to obey Cate’s orders. They managed to slip to the third floor, alarming a handful of ferals that they managed to kill easily, but the door that led to the room was blocked by rubble. Cate insisted they go to the fifth and final floor and to Charon’s surprise and Cate’s delight the building had been caved in. The hole led to the room where the chip was. The woman’s brilliant idea was for Charon to lower her in the room with a rope and then pull her back up and the ghoul did not like it one bit.

His senses were on edge since the place was supposed to be festered with ghouls and they only met a dozen of them. He was sure there were more of them, lurking in the corners of the library. As soon as they picked up Cate’s scent they would run for her. There was a fair chance that ghouls had fallen through the hole as well, waiting for Cate as he lowered her down there, offering her to them. He grunted and grabbed on the rope after receiving a single tug that meant she had landed. He kept his ears open hoping not to hear any feral growls, or even worse, his current mistress’s scream. Charon hated what the woman had done to him and what he allowed upon himself. Sure the contract forced him to protect the contract holder at all costs, apart from literally giving his life, but this time it was different. He was not worried like that because of the contract. He was worried because he liked that damned smoothskin and he did not want to have another employer.

‘’Shit…’’, he heard from the bottom of the hole and he clenched his fists, ready to pull her up. The next second a number of snarls echoed from below and then gunshots. Charon cursed out and knew that if he jumped in there they would both be trapped. He had to pull her up.

‘’Not yet!’’, he heard her scream and more snarls and gunshots followed. The ghoul could feel his heart jump out of his chest. It wasn’t an order exactly and he had to protect the contract holder. He pulled on the rope and heard a yelp.

‘’It’s a fucking order!’’, she screamed at him again and he cursed out loud. He could hear her grunt and fight down there and he was unable to do anything about it. The nerves in his brain were screaming. His wish to save her and the absolution of her orders fought in opposite sides. Suddenly he felt the double tug and his eyes widened. He pulled on the rope like crazy, the snarls remaining and the sound of gunshot getting closer. He let a breath escape as the woman came near him. He helped her up from the hole and untied the rope from her.

‘’Thank you Charon.’’, she spoke weakly and reloaded her pistol immediately.

‘’You are injured.’’, he spoke mechanically, but his mind was screaming. _Protect the contract holder. Treat the wounds._ There were a few bite marks on her left arm and shoulder, as well some tearing on her boots. She struggled to stand on her feet and Charon gave her a shoulder.

‘’We must leave this place first.’’, she spoke breathlessly and the ghoul focused on her determined and blood smeared face. He nodded and held his shotgun tightly as they walked down to the third floor. The racket Cate had caused woke up even more ferals and Charon wasted no time shooting them in the head, having Cate help out as well.

When they were finally out and a few meters away from the library, the woman pointed at a location behind some rubble, where they would be able to keep an eye for enemies, while the wounds were treated. Charon placed her on the ground and immediately pulled out of his bag two stimpaks, bandages and some alcohol. Cate simply laughed.

‘’So reliable.’’

‘’I am bound to protect you.’’, he commented, despite the fact that the failure to do so before gnawed on the corners of his brain.

\----

Her plan had not worked exactly as she wanted it to. Sure the possibility of ferals being trapped down the hole was high, but she did not expect that many of them. She proud of her idea and the way she fought though, despite the sour face Charon was putting on. _At least he is expressing a feeling for once._

‘’It’s okay, I can do it on my own.’’, she told him, not because she did not trust him, he had helped her heal wounds up before, but because she could see that he was angry for having to listen to the orders she had given him. His hazy, blue eyes focused on hers.

‘’Is it an order?’’, it was the first time the ghoul asked her that and chuckled.

‘’You need my help Cate.’’, he added and she pursed her lips and looked at him sideways. She decided to allow him to do it and removed the top of her jumpsuit. She would have to replace that one, as the left sleeve had been chewed away. _Gotta get some knew boots too._ As soon as the man approached her with a cloth doused in alcohol, all thoughts fled her mind. She felt extremely awkward as the man disinfected the bites on her forearm and moved upwards to her shoulder. Her eyes fell to the side up to the point when she felt the stimpak on her skin and the wound close up.

‘’Thank you.’’, she mumbled and dressed up with the ruined jumpsuit. ‘’Time to go back.’’, she added and the man helped her stand on her feet, his face had returned to its stern usual stage. Cate cursed herself for making their cooperation awkward with her little stunt back in the Citadel. She was unsure of her feelings for the ghoul now. She appreciated the giant statue and his abilities and for the past weeks he had been the greatest help she even had in her life, despite her whining about his protectiveness. She was wondering what was in his mind. The few words he had spoken to her before made her think that he felt inferior, simply because he was a ghoul. She did not want him to feel that way and decided to focus on her goal: setting the man free of the chains of his contract. Perhaps then he would express himself freely.


	13. Forced mission

They did not stay long in the Citadel. As soon as Cate gave the chip to the scribe, they headed back to the trading center. She had to get some new equipment, before they left for the next location: a hidden bunker in the north, where scribe Jameson swore had some data on super soldier experiments imported from China and Russia. Charon was oblivious to it and Cate felt bad for hiding this from him, but she knew it would make everything even more awkward. He never asked details about missions, unless he though they were too dangerous for her and he needed to hear her plan out. The single night they spent in the house was as silent as it even was, the man spending his hours in his room. Cate wanted to drink, but decided against it, as she had to be in her best shape tomorrow. The road to the bunker was not too long, only ten hours away, but they had to detour as to not fall in Deathclaw territory. The last thing she wanted was having the ghoul try to saw an arm or leg back on her body.

The trip to the bunker was one of the easiest she had to go through. Apart from the detour the road was completely safe, since caravans crossed it up to the last kilometer. Cate wondered why no one ever found that bunker, as it was literally too close to civilization.

‘’It’s supposed to be here somewhere.’’, she mumbled and glanced around the deserted mountain.

‘’What are we looking for?’’, the man asked as he tried to follow her eyes.

‘’There is a bunker here.’’, she casually said and walked near one of the dried up trees to look down the cliff behind it.

‘’A bunker with what?’’, the ghoul spoke again, his voice was restrained. Cate felt the color leave her face as she turned around and saw him stay his ground, glaring at her.

‘’Some weapons I need for the trad…’’, she begun saying.

‘’There are no weapons down there.’’, he replied abruptly and the brunette could feel tension rise around him.

‘’But I heard that…’’, she tried speaking again, in order to support her fake reasoning.

‘’What are you looking for Cate?’’, he asked her, interrupting her once more. The man was now breathing hard, his broad chest moving up and down. The setting sun made his face look even more vicious for some reason. He was definitely angry. He knew. Cate averted her gaze and felt her palms sweat up in discomfort.

‘’I want to release you Charon.’’, she murmured and sighed. She suddenly remembered that she actually did something good for him and got mad at herself for letting him exploit guilt for not telling him. She glared at him.

‘’I am doing this for you! You don’t deserve to be no one’s slave. If there is a way to break you free from this damned contract I want to do it.’’, she yelled at him and she saw his eye twitch. ‘’I want you to think and act on your own. I want you to decide on your own if you want to stay in the trading center of leave. I want you to do things for yourself!’’

‘’Stop it!’’, he rose his voice over hers and walked near her, his heavy footing made her heart beat faster. He stood inches away from her and his blue eyes pierced her chestnut ones.

‘’You cannot change what they did to me. This is who I am, who I have been for more than two hundred years.’’, he told her in a restrained voice, nearly growling at her. ‘’I do not feel like a slave next to you. In all my years of service this is the first time I like doing what you make me do.’’ The woman widened her eyes. She felt as if she could breathe again.

‘’But you still follow orders…’’, she mumbled under her breath. ‘’I don’t want that.’’ She took the contract out of her jumpsuit in an act of desperation and held the paper with her two hands. In front of the man’s widened eyes she tore the paper in pieces, letting it fall to ground. She knew what the destruction of the contract meant, and she was still fine with it.

\-------

_If the contract is destroyed, the current contract holder loses all rights to the service. A new contract must be fashioned and a new employer must be found immediately._

_Why? Why did she do that?_

‘’You…’’, he exhaled and looked at the torn piece of paper on the ground before gritting his teeth. ‘’Do you know what this means?’’

‘’If you don’t want me to help you, go find someone else to order you around.’’, she told him and there was a hint of strain and sadness in her voice. He lifted his gaze to see her eyes blur up. ‘’It’s just a fucking piece of paper, Charon…’’, she added and just then her words made his mind go blank.

_Just a piece of paper._

‘’Yeah…’’, he murmured and he saw her perk up in shock. ‘’I want to fight for you…’’, he kept on and every nerve in his body was on fire upon saying these words, upon denying what was conditioned in his brain. He never had his own desires, his desires where the desires of his employers, but this time it was different. Cate let him develop a desire. ‘’I want to fight with you.’’, he spoke firmly and stared right in her eyes. She smiled widely, tears strolling down her freckled cheeks. She nodded and stretched out an arm to him. He chuckled and shook it. It felt as if a large weight had been lifted form his shoulders. It felt weird to think this way and it would be tough on him, but he was not going to let his only desire leave him.

‘’Then there is no need to go in there.’’, she spoke and turned around, walking towards the main road with the smile still plastered on her face. Charon couldn’t help it. He let himself smile as well.

The smile turned into a face of terror when behind the woman he saw something he did not expect. _Shit, shit, shit!_ He widened his eyes and stretched one hand to pull the woman behind him, while aiming with his shotgun with the other as a Deathclaw charged at them.


	14. Back to base

‘’Charon!’’, Cate’s voice ripped through the air as Charon was tossed to the side by the huge creature towering near them. The ghoul landed on his feet and kept on firing his shotgun, his left arm already broken. Cate run around the Deathclaw and landed two shots on the back of its head, making it roar in anger and turn towards her. She cursed under her breath as the creature reached her with two strides. She ducked to avoid his claw and run to the side. Another shot landed from the ghoul’s shotgun and the Deathclaw snarled and turned to him. He held his gun with one hand, his other, crushed one, hanging limply next to his body. His face was a restrained expression of rage as he kept firing, hitting the creature’s head again and again until it finally fell down dead.

Cate let a ragged breath escape her body and waited a few seconds to make sure it would not rise up once more. She run towards Charon, holstering her pistol and pulling out three stimpaks. The man grunted barely, he had an affinity of always hiding his pain and wounds, but this time the injury could not be hidden. He glared at her sideways as she punctured his arm with the healing medicine again and again in three parts of his broken up arm. He hissed as it was slowly coming back to its normal shape, the muscle tying up around the bones properly once more.

‘’Apologies, I should have been more careful of our surroundings.’’, he spoke firmly, as if the previous conversation never happened. The woman pouted. _Such a stubborn man._

‘’You won’t talk to me like that anymore.’’, she told him and he rubbed the back of his head and nodded. A face of discomfort was evident in his rough features. It would tough on him, but he would have to change.

The walk back to the trading center was a relatively peaceful one. Yet Cate could feel the patched up wounds itch like crazy. She would have to take a closer look at them as soon as they reached home and visit the doctor as well. She huffed more than a couple of times, receiving worried glances from the ghoul.

‘’What is it?’’, he asked, his brows furrowed in a worried expression. The woman stopped walking and took a strained breath. Her vision was getting blurry and cold sweat run on her back. _Just two more kilometers damn it._ She thought and as she took another step she lost her balance, the world darkening around her. The last thing she felt was a strong arm holding her in place, before she blacked out.

\----

Charon paced outside the doctor’s room with all kinds of thoughts crossing his mind. _Radiation poisoning he said._ The feral ghoul bites had increased the radiation level in her blood drastically and even oral rad –x would not be able to help her. The doctor plugged her up with Rad-away and asked of Charon to wait outside until she was stable enough. He slapped himself mentally for not having thought of that.

When the door opened he practically jumped to the opening, wanting to get in. That woman was his only reason for wanting to fight the shackles of his brain. No matter how she felt for him, he was going to accept it. There was nothing else for him at that point. Nowhere to go, nothing to fight for. He wanted to fight for her. But for that to happen she had to survive.

‘’Don’t barge in you freakin’ barbarian.’’, the doctor mumbled as the ghoul pushed him aside to see Cate. She was awake, a tube that led to a pack of rad-away was connected to her wrist. As soon as she saw him her face lit up and even if the color had left her tanned skin, a hue of red oddly occupied her freckled cheeks.

‘’I am fine Charon, just a bit of radiation poisoning. It has happened before.’’, she commented and tried to sit up. He immediately run to her in order to assist her.

‘’Thank you...’’, she told him and he swore her face got even redder. She turned to face the doctor. ‘’How long till I can leave?’’, she asked him and the doctor scoffed. He was a peculiar man. He was short, even shorter than Cate and his black hair were thinning on the top. His round glasses were nearly falling off his crooked nose.

‘’Only when the rad-away gets absorbed you can leave, but I suggest you supplement orally for a week. A pill a day will do fine.’’, he answered and sat on his office chair. Cate exhaled and avoided Charon’s gaze until it was time for them to leave.

As soon as they got home and had the opportunity to wash off the stench of the wasteland, the ghoul took over to prepare a meal for the woman. He had never done that before, as he had never been ordered to. She was the one that usually forced a plate of food to him, ordering him to eat up. He could feel her chestnut eyes behind his back, as she sat on the chair in her favorite, cross-legged position, wearing her short shorts and soft fabric tank top. At the thought of her behind him, he kept recalling of what had happened at the Citadel. As if his struggle to fight his own brain was not enough, he had all these weird feelings he hadn’t experienced in two centuries coming back, making him act like a fucking teenager. He sighed in exasperation to his own self and tossed the steak to the other side.

When he turned around with two plates of food he crossed eyes with the woman, only to see that she had in fact been observing him. She seemed to have recovered, but her expression was still weak. She definitely needed some food.

‘’So reliable.’’, she commented and begun eating immediately. Charon focused on his food as well and realized it was the first time they ate like this: one across the other, in the peace and comfort of a house.

‘’So… Now that you are free of my orders, will you finally tell me if you want to do something or go somewhere? I’m up for anything really. You have saved my ass so many times I would do anything for you.’’, she told him while sipping some cold beer. The ghoul nearly flinched at the suggestion. _I would do anything for you._ When did his mind turn like that? The woman managed to infect his thoughts slowly but surely and he denied to address it.

‘’You seem deep in thoughts.’’, she commented and lowered her head to catch his eyes that were gazing on the table.

‘’I don’t really have something that I want…’’, he mumbled despite himself.

‘’Pffft… bullshit. You said you wanted to fight with me. Well if you want us to be proper partners your wishes will be fulfilled as well. All people have desires, just name yours.’’, she told him and smiled with the edge of her lips. The man felt as if she was beckoning him to admit it. _His desire._ He never wanted anything in his life after he had been brainwashed back in Russia. When he was imported in U.S.A. he became nothing but a piece of property.

‘’What I want right now will scare you Cate. It will disgust you and I don’t want that.’’, he simply said and his eyes focused on hers as she widened them, a pink shade covering her cheeks.

‘’What makes you think it will disgust me?’’, she pressed on and Charon grunted, averting his gaze. If it was on thing he was good at, it was keeping his mouth shut.

‘’Charon!’’, she exclaimed and he looked at her again. ‘’For fucks sake just do something for yourself for once! You want something, take it! I will order you to do so if I have to, damn it, until you stop listening to my orders all together.’’, she kept on and placed the beer bottle on the table in frustration. His mind snapped completely as his confusion of a given order and his actual desires took place in his old brain. He stood up and with two strides he was next to the brunette. She looked up at him, still pissed off with his reactions. She yelped when she grabbed her by the shoulders and made her stand on her feet. The next second he planted his lips on hers, receiving a moan of surprise from her side.


	15. Proper partners (final chapter/lemon)

Charon was unsure of how the smooth-skin was going to react. Was she going to shove him off and spit in his face from the disgust? Was she going to throw him out of the house for even thinking a ghoul had a chance with her? But, no. How could he even think that about Cate, when she was the only person he ever met who treated him like a human being?

The woman relaxed her shoulders and placed her arms over his own, broad ones. She gave in the kiss and soon enough seeked entrance with her tongue. Charon enjoyed her reaction and gave in, parting his mouth and letting her take over. When she leaned back, her eyes had a blur of wanting and her cheeks were flushed red.

‘’Is this okay?’’, he managed to ask and she simply smiled at him and nodded. He frowned. ‘’Are you not…’’, he tried to say and she suddenly kissed him to silence him.

‘’Don’t even dare end that sentence. I only hope a stupid kid like me can be good enough for an experienced and clever man like yourself Charon. You have lived so much, how can I even compare…’’ It was now his turn to silence her. He grabbed her in his arms, making her legs cross behind his waist. His large calloused hands grabbed on her ass-cheeks as she yelped in surprise. He led them up the stairs and in her bedroom. He was not going to fuck her for the first time, over the damn table.

\---

Cate did not expect the first action the man would take when asked to name his desires would be this one. She did not complain at all though. She had been thinking about him improperly, refusing to admit it to herself. When he dropped her on the bed softly, she let a moan escape. She glanced upwards at him, wanting nothing more than to feel his radiating heat on her skin. She hoped he would be okay with her being inexperienced. When his blue eyes focused on her, a hunger he had never seen in them lit them up, she felt a shiver run down her spine.

‘’Fuck…Charon…’’, she mumbled in protest when the man lowered his face over her nether region, planting his lips over her cloathed skin. He smirked up at her and with a swift motion he removed both her skimpy shorts and her underwear in one go, making her moan in surprise again. Her hands hovered over her exposed womanhood and she looked the side, feeling the blood rush to her face.

‘’Do not hide yourself Cate.’’, he told her, his voice low and gruff and she nodded to herself, refusing to look at him, as she took her hands away. The next moment she felt heat approach her skin, as the man begun kissing the inner part of her thighs, traveling upwards. The next second she felt his rough fingers play with her lips before he begun licking her hungrily. She kept moaning in protest, the pleasure he gave her, she had never felt before.

‘’Don’t tease me, please…’’, she managed to utter and she heard a chuckle from him. She looked at him and pouted, sitting up and tugging on his pants. She felt challenged by him and she wanted to show dominance and not only during battles. She could see his erection, straining his pants and pulled them down, half scared, half eager. The man was not just big in height and muscle mass, he was big down there as well. It made her pause for a second, her face inches away from his manhood. His hand caressed the back of her head, tangled in her hair, and her eyes met his. She circled her hand over his erection and opened her mouth to place the tip in. The ghoul cursed under his breath and threw his head back as Cate moved her head back and forth, enjoying his reactions more than anything.

He suddenly pulled her head back by her hair and threw her on the bed, hovering above. He smirked and pulled her shirt right off, revealing her breasts. He played with one of them, propping himself up with the other hand. She moaned and tugged on his shirt in complain.

‘’Not fare.’’, she said and he frowned.

‘’I am not a nice thing to look at.’’, he said in all seriousness and she frowned as well.

‘’That is your opinion. Take it off.’’, she simply told him and he paused for a second before smiling to himself and removing his plain white tank top. Cate’s eyes darted hungrily over his well-built chest and abs, covered by his rough skin, parts of it melted away by radiation, exposing raw muscle that had toughened up on the surface. She traced her fingers over his torso, enjoying the sensation of his ragged skin. He lowered closer to her and she could feel the tip of his erection over her entrance. She braced herself for the inevitable pain.

A grunt left the brunette’s lips and Charon cursed under his breath.

‘’You… You are bleeding…’’, he uttered and searched for her eyes with a worried expression.

‘’Yeah…’’, she smiled apologetically. ‘’This is my first time after all.’’, she added and the man took a ragged breath, freezing in the spot, only the tip of his manhood in her.

‘’Why didn’t you say so…’’, he muttered and then sighed. He begun kissing her neck softly while slowly entering her. ‘’You can grab onto me as tough as you need…’’, his voice was heard right next to her ear making her shiver and she immediately sunk her fingernails in his ragged skin. He began pumping in and out slowly at first and the pain soon enough became a numb sensation that gave way to some pleasure. He glanced at her face again and again, increasing the pace when she begun moaning. He placed a finger over her clit and played with it, making the sensation even more intense.

‘’I am… ugh… Charon…’’, was all she managed to breathe out as her body gave in to him, her walls clenching around him. He grunted and pulled out at the last moment, releasing himself all over her torso, a strained expression on his face. They both stood there, panting profusely. Charon stood on his feet and took the woman by surprise, when he took her in his arms bridal style, walking towards the bathroom.

‘’I can clean myself up on my own, Charon…’’, she laughed lightly and he averted his gaze.

‘’I guess we are proper partners now.’’, Cate commented and the ghoul eyed at her smug expression.

‘’But Cate…’’, he begun saying and she knew just what was in his mind.

‘’I won’t hear it Charon. You want it. I want it. Let’s go fuck this unfair world up.’’


End file.
